Underwater cables are commonly used to carry electrical power and/or signals. There is a need to make connections between adjacent cable ends, or between a cable end and associated equipment, for example. Accordingly, there are also submersible cable connectors for such hostile or underwater, high pressure environments. Such cable connectors not only have to operate under extreme conditions, but for some applications they may need to be mateable while submerged, that is, wet-mateable. A submersible robotic device may also be used to mate and demate the wet-mateable cable connector portions.
The assignee of the present invention, Ocean Design, Inc. of Daytona Beach, Fla., has developed various significant improvements in wet-mateable connectors as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,948,377; 5,162,617; 5,194,012; 5,203,805; 5,645,438; 5,645,442; 5,772,457; 5,722,842; 5,873,750; 6,017,227; 6,067,395; 6,315,461; 6,332,787; 6,464,405; 6,736,545; 6,796,821; and 6,910,910, for example. The entire content of each of these patents is incorporated herein by reference.
One line of wet-mateable connectors is of the type as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,736,545, for example. The patent discloses a wet-mateable connector comprising first and second connector portions being movable between unmated and mated positions. In addition, the connector also includes first and second bladders in respective connector portions and cooperating therewith so that opposing ends of the bladders are sealably urged together and moved from a closed to an open position as the connector portions are moved from the unmated to the mated position.
More particularly, the first connector portion includes a first tubular shell including interior portions defining a fixed oval constriction. The second connector portion comprises a second tubular shell and an actuator slidable therein and defining a slidable oval constriction. The second bladder is extended longitudinally beyond the slidable and fixed oval constrictions and into the interior of the first shell when the connector portions are moved to the mated position. This mating action causes the ends of the bladders to move to the open position, yet provides a seal therebetween to surrounding water, to permit engagement of contacts. Conversely, the bladders are closed to seal the respective contacts from the surrounding water when the connector is moved to the unmated position. Commercial versions of this wet-mateable connector are offered from Ocean Design, Inc. of Daytona Beach, Fla. under the designation I-CONN.
One disadvantage of the type of wet-mateable connector as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,736,545 is that the manufacturing of the tapered, oval-shaped, fixed or sliding constriction is relatively complicated. Another disadvantage is that the shape of the opening in the ends of the bladders may not be large enough when open to use higher fiber counts, for example. Yet another shortcoming of the connector is that a spring applying a relatively high spring force is used to urge the ends of the bladders together as the connector portions are moved from the unmated to the mated positions. One other spring also serves to return the slidable oval throat to its fully outward position when the connector portions are moved to the unmated position. As the spring is compressed during mating, its resistive force increases and this may result in undesirably high mating forces. The connector relies entirely upon the springs to return the components to their unmated positions. Accordingly, it may also happen that debris such as sand cannot be overcome by the springs, and they could fail to return the components to their desired unmated positions.